The Blinds Review cuts through the hassle of all the confusing data amongst the sea of window blinds websites. It's your one stop shop for expert reviews, relevant seasonal style guides and image galleries to help you make a decision...quick!

Using drapery and standard curtains can make a home seem out dated. If you desire to infuse your house with a fresh energy, the first place to start is with the window treatments. Replacing curtains with shades will instantly convert a stuffy space into a sophisticated sanctuary.

When changing your window treatments you have to consider the needs of each individual room, in some cases of each individual window within a room. Do the shades need to give you full privacy or control the amount of light that enters? In some cases you may just be dressing the window up and functionality is not important. In either case you have many options to choose from.

Roman Shades

there are literally thousands of choices when deciding to decorate with Roman Shades

Being made from fabric, roman shades can give you the same warmth that curtains did, yet with more style. With the multitude and fabrics and design patterns to work with you can incorporate them easily into any room in the room. Even hard to decorate windows like those found over the kitchen sink and large bay windows. You have the option of choosing between cotton, polyester, linen or silk fabric with roman shades as well as the fold pattern.

Roman shades are typically offered with three different options in the fold pattern. Classic or flat will give your window treatment a clean look whether raised or closed or you can choose to add more texture to the room with a hobbled style fold that most resembles traditional draperies. With any style you can have the bottom curved to give the room even more flair.

Roller Shades

If you want a shade that be discreetly hidden from view when opened, then roller shades are the better choice. Like the name implies, they are able to roll completely onto a round bar allowing a view that is entirely unobstructed. You can take the illusion a step further by installing a chic valence over the rollers in a color that complements the one on your shade.

Like with roman shades, you have the ability to choose from a vast array of styles and even patterns for your roller shades. In addition, you can add more functionality by installing light filtering or even black out fabrics to your shades. Again, it all depends on the needs of the window that you are sprucing up.

Honeycomb Shades

Honeycombs look like a blind but act like a shade. With two layers of fabric that are folded in opposite directions, a honeycomb shade offers increased insulation to the window and protection from harmful UV rays. Once again you have many choices in colors and patterns with honeycomb shades making them an easy fit into any décor style.

Choose cordless shades, for safety and asthetics

With cordless options and design patterns from Disney, honeycomb shades are ideal for a child’s room. Plus you can add a room darkening feature to encourage sleeping for a baby or toddler at any time of the day.

Replacing curtains and drapery with shades allows you the cozy feel of fabric but with the sophistication of clean lines. If you are ready for a window treatment upgrade and don’t want to something drastic, then fabric shades are your best choice.

We know how much you detest the chore of cleaning your blinds and shades. However, with a 30-minute, once-in-a-month care and maintenance regime, you can ensure that your beautiful window treatments stay as good as new for years to come. Read on for a few handy tips and tricks for cleaning your different kinds of blinds and shades within minutes.

Faux wood blinds

Faux wood blinds are extremely durable and sturdy. You can clean them up by using a light vacuum fabric attachment or a simple static charged duster to efficiently remove dust between the slats. You can wipe off spills and stains by making use of a mild detergent and a soft cloth or sponge.

Sheer shades

Those gorgeous translucent window treatments, which are so amazing at diffusing sunlight within your rooms, might have a delicate appeal, but are quite sturdily built using woven polyester fabrics. You can easily clean up all that dust and soot accumulated within the knits by setting up your vacuum cleaner to the lowest suction mode and using a brush attachment.

Roman shades

There are a variety of roman shades available in the market today. Irrespective of whether they are pleated, draped or flat, you can employ the usage of the soft brush tool of your vacuum cleaner and set it up on low suction mode for gently pulling off the dust and soot particles. To get rid of fingerprints or soil stains, you can use a fabric cleaner spray and scrub off the area using a damp sponge.

Vertical blinds

The cleaning and maintenance techniques for vertical blinds largely depends on the kind of material they are composed of. Vinyl vanes can be vacuumed or dusted with a damp sponge using a mild soapy solution. You can also remove your PVC louvers from the window and immerse them in a soap solution to remove light soil stains. Fabric vanes, however, should be cleaned only using a good quality gentle fabric cleaner and must never be immersed in soap solution.

Roller shades

There are a plethora of roller shades available in different textures and fabrics nowadays. However, most different kinds of roller shades can be cleaned by monthly vacuuming with a soft brush attachment. The vinyl roller shades are exclusively composed of synthetic polymers that are quite durable and easy to clean. For cleaning spots and soil stains on your vinyl roller shades, you can make use of a soft sponge dipped in a soapy solution, and rub gently onto the surface for spot treatment. In case you vinyl shades have become excessively laden with dirt and grime, you can remove them from the window and immerse them in a bathtub with lukewarm water, and a gentle dish washing detergent. You can then scrub off the stubborn stains by using a soft fabric brush and rinsing with clean water.

By following these simple cleaning tips for your expensive blinds and shades, you can effortlessly

Using bamboo wood window blinds
can prove to be a very nice option for the homeowners who are looking for
complete privacy. These wooden and bamboo blinds are known to enhance privacy,
offer shade and help improve the décor of the room. They are strong, light and
usually simple to clean. They can either be slat-style that function with a
pulley and cord or roll-up blinds. Both wooden and bamboo blinds have
advantages that make them worth the additional cost when compared to plastic or
vinyl blinds.

For a detailed review of bamboo
blinds, check out the information given below carefully. Bamboo and wooden
blinds will never disappoint you with the kind of features they have.

Decorating

Wooden and bamboo shades have
been in use for a long time as traditional art and decorative pieces. These
window blinds are prized for their reliability and eco-friendliness and can
complement a contemporary, Asian style as well as a traditional room.

Eco-Friendly

Bamboo is a great eco-friendly
option for you as it is a renewable resource. It grows quickly and is versatile
in nature. Wood derived from the hardwood trees is also quite good as it has proved
to be a major player in building up the society.

Insulation

As per the Wood blinds Guidebook,
about 50 percent of all the major heat gain or loss in a house is through the
windows. Without the use of proper blinds, half of the cooling or heating gets
wasted. Metal or traditional vinyl blinds are superior to no covering. Bamboo and
wood are outstanding insulators and can easily bring down your cooling and
heating costs by blocking the heat from penetrating through your windows.

Reliability

Not many people are aware of the
fact that bamboo is one of the sturdiest materials available naturally. It has
a tensile strength, which is powerful than steel. Wooden blinds, too, can prove
to be quite strong as they are durable. If one talks about, metal and vinyl
blinds, then it is quite essential to note that they can crack and bend with a fairly
light amount of pressure. However, wooden and bamboo blinds are extremely
resilient.

Other Advantages

Blinds are exposed to regular
sunlight during the day time and are, therefore, quite prone to getting heated
up. Metal and Vinyl blinds can get really hot and so can prove to be dangerous
for small kids. They even pose a lot of danger of forming sharp edges and
breaking. However, bamboo blinds don’t get too hot and are also simple to clean
and maintain.

Every room has its special charm and the décor of the room is always a mix of the furniture styling, flooring, wall colors, window treatments and other accessories. Somehow, no matter what style you design your home and its individual rooms in; the windows always add a special touch.

Shutters come in may shapes and sizes. Try on some color, like these from Shutter Craft.

Making a style statement is about getting creative and being inspired by latest trends and materials. But there are some designing elements that have an eternal charm and designer wood shutters are one of them. Their attraction quotient lies in the fact that they look as beautiful in modern and contemporary-styled homes as they do in homes that lean on traditional and more conservative styling.

Why Wood Shutters?

But are designer wood shutters used in homes only for their aesthetic value? Well! That is just one of their benefits. Take a look at a few others that make these shutters a charming addition to your home:

Privacy- This is probably one of the main benefits of designer wood shutters. They are made of natural wood and every slat is wide and designed to align perfectly with the next. Once they are shut, they provide you with the privacy you need and are also very useful in blocking out light when you don’t want it

Insulation- Along with blocking light, these shutters also block out heat which can be a great benefit in tropical regions. The insulation they provide also adds to the energy efficiency of your home, regardless of which season it is. They are also useful in blocking out outside noise

Durability- Once you have properly polished and well-finished designer wood blinds in place, you do not have to worry too much about them. They do not deteriorate like some other man-made materials do

Maintenance- These shutters only require dry dusting or an occasional vacuuming to keep them clean which makes them very low maintenance

Aesthetics- As mentioned earlier, they look and feel very good in any kind of interior setting and add allure to every room they are installed in. Since these are available in a variety of wood species, like oak, poplar and bass wood. You can choose the one that suits the décor in your home the best

Environment-Friendly- Designer wood shutters are made of natural wood which makes then environment friendly unlike some materials that are harmful to the environment

Customizable- The beauty of these shutters is that they are completely customizable. Right from the actual size of the shutters to the width of the slats. This provides you the style and privacy options that match your requirement

Cost-Effective- Though wood shutters are more expensive than PVC and vinyl ones, they are far more durable and low-maintenance, which makes them cost-effective in the long run

When it comes to home decoration elements, there are very few options that can beat designer wood shutters in terms of functionality, value and aesthetics. They are a definite value-add to your beautiful home and a true reflection of your impeccable good taste.